"It's not too big for him as a young player," Payton said. "He's extremely confident and humble in a real way in really wanting to learn.

"Drew Brees breaks a record almost every game, and he never talks about records," Thomas added. "So, I'd rather just fall in that line. ... If I keep my head down and focus on winning games, even bigger stuff will happen."
"He's a gifted run-after-the-catch guy," Payton said this week. "He does a good job of leveraging the corners and making it hard to tackle."
How much that matters to him is difficult to discern, because he's clearly not comfortable making a big deal out of it.
Stylistically, Thomas is somewhat different than Colston in the ways he runs and catches, but in terms of his prominence in the offense, his ascension has practically mirrored the former Saints star he has replaced in the lineup.
Payton said he'd spoken with Johnson about Thomas before last spring's draft and the Saints liked Thomas' size, hands and the way he competed with defenders for closely contested passes when he was with the Buckeyes.
"All that stuff will take care of itself," said Thomas, who'll line up against Tampa Bay on Sunday. "At the end of the day, we're trying to win games here.
"Mike's that guy that — and I'd say for Marques, too — every week it's like you're just broadening the scope of what they can do.
Payton also has said Thomas learns quickly and rarely repeats mistakes.
Colston's 1,038 yards receiving in 2006 remains New Orleans' rookie record in that department — for now.
Payton also praised Thomas as an intense practice player who tends to work on his route-running at full speed during walkthroughs, when most other players are essentially jogging (as they're expected to do).
Now that he's had most of a season to coach Thomas, Payton has been impressed by the receiver's ability to run after the catch — and after contact.
"Everyone will be in a walkthrough and Mike will be full speed,Ultra Boost Wholesale, so when his route shows up on the other side of the field relative to everyone else who's going maybe a quarter of the speed,http://www.authenticjerseysnfl.us.com/Authentic-Nike-Baltimore-Ravens-Football-Jerseys/, it looks out of proportion,China Jerseys Online," Payton said. "It's just real important to him."
"I feel like they've done it kind of in different ways and yet both have been highly productive," said Brees, who was in his first year with New Orleans when Colston was a rookie.
When the Saints drafted the 6-foot-3, 212-pound Thomas, the hope was that he would be a good fit at the same receiver spot — also known as the "X'' receiver — where the 6-4 Colston set just about every franchise receiving record there is.
"You're able to put something else in the game plan for them that hasn't been there in the past because they're continuing to grow and learn and soak it all up, and that's the exciting part is you feel like you're just scratching the surface," Brees added.
With seven catches and a touchdown at Arizona last Sunday,Hockey NFL Jerseys Wholesale, Thomas set the Saints' franchise rookie record for receptions and tied the mark for rookie TD catches also reached by Marques Colston in 2006 and Dante Stallworth in 2002.
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints receiver Michael Thomas might own all of New Orleans' significant rookie receiving records after the final two games of the regular season.
"Those are real good traits for a player at any position because they're going to improve and they're going to improve quickly and I think we're seeing that daily."
Notes: Two Saints players missed practice on Wednesday: CB Delvin Breaux (shoulder) and FB John Kuhn (hip). ... Those listed as limited included LB Dannell Ellerbe (foot), LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) and C Max Unger (foot).
With 76 catches for 883 yards and eight touchdowns, Thomas leads NFL rookies in all three categories — meaning the second-round draft choice, 47th overall out of Ohio State, is out-producing the five receivers drafted ahead of him: Cleveland's Corey Coleman, Houston's Will Fuller, Washington's Josh Doctson (injured early this season), Minnesota's Laquan Treadwell and the New York Giants' Sterling Shepard.
Saints coach Sean Payton said his staff and scouts had a good feeling about Thomas,Adam Oates Jersey, whose uncle is former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson.